Customer Reviews for Citizen Advocacy Center
Angela R. on 10/3/2017 6:44:20 PM
According to Murphy's Law, once you give up on something, that's when you get results. I would like to replace my previous review on 09/30/17 with a thumbs up, because although it was a bit belated, I was finally contacted by this organization after requesting assistance with a Freedom of Information Act appeal. I had been seeking help from experienced FOIA experts (nonprofits and for profits alike) for about 5 solid months, only to get a "sorry, we're swamped, we can't help you" response, so by the time I reached out to Citizen Advocacy Center and waited a few weeks, I just assumed that, like everyone else, they weren't going to be able to help. Thus, I prematurely rated them with a thumbs down, which I would now like to retract, as I had a very informative phone conversation with one of the community lawyers this afternoon. Apparently, they were literally swamped, too, but they did finally assist me and I am so appreciative of the no cost advising that I was able to obtain from CAC. Even though they are smaller than an organization like the ACLU, nonetheless, even they get swamped, so be patient, as they will eventually get back to you. I had a deadline looming with my FOIA appeal, and they did reach out to me in enough time to revise my appeal and get it to the Public Access Counselor in a timely manner. Just when I was about to give up on expecting help, Ben at CAC came through. I will absolutely recommend the organization to others.
Angela R. on 9/30/2017 4:27:29 PM
While they initially seem helpful by telephone, once you follow up and send them your materials for review (in my case, I wanted assistance in appealing a Freedom of Information Act denial), you don't hear back, even after two weeks and a follow up phone call. It seems like they can't handle the intake here, so now I have to scramble to find assistance elsewhere (after patiently waiting two full weeks for a response) or just file my appeal on my own. I would not contact them again, due to getting no response from them in a reasonable time period, nor would I consider donating. I absolutely believe that nonprofits should fulfill their missions if they are going to have tax exempt status. This is just one of many Illinois nonprofits that, despite talking up a good game when you initially contact them and having a nice website, cannot come through for citizens that actually need them to help out. Also, when I looked around online, I could not find any positive reviews that they have really helped anyone out. Nothing on Yelp.com or some of the other sites I looked at. Maybe this is a very small organization, or something, but for help with FOIAs, you can find out more on your own by reading through some journalism oriented Freedom of Information Act websites during the time you spend waiting and waiting on this Elmhurst, IL based organization.
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